The first-ever Fortnite World Cup was a landmark event in esports and the wider sporting industry. The event was held in July 2019 and was a fantastic spectacle for both competitors and fans who watched on. Here are four records that were set at the event.
First Fortnite World Champion
While there will be a long list of champions in the coming years, Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf has his name on the first page of the Fortnite history book for his World Champion win in the Fortnite World Cup. The win earned him a grand prize of $3 million, pride among his peers and fame across the world. He went on to appear on late-night talk shows to discuss the victory and may now be the most famous online gamer in the world (as well as maybe the richest).
Largest Prize Pool
Giersdorf was not the only gamer to make a tidy sum out of the event. The individual competition had the largest prize pool of any esports game at $15 million with the player who came last earning $50,000. While that might sound like charity, as over 40 million people attempted to get to the World Cup competition, to call coming 100th the last place feels unfair and deserving of a prize.
First Duo Champions
While the event created a landmark in the single-player mode it did the same in team mode. 50 teams went to battle in the event, in the end, two players Emil Berquist Pedersen and David W won the event and shared the $3 million prize for finishing in the first place.
Largest Single Player Payout
Bugha’s $3 million prize is also a record as the largest individual payout in an online game. Money keeps rolling into esports and it will only continue to grow as the audience does. The esports economy was worth over $1 billion in 2019.
